Ode to Tube

Through a sea of people you swim and wriggle,
All waiting for the same vessel,
To carry you far from the place that you are,
So through the crowd you wrestle,

And hop on board,
Over a bottomless void,
To the safety of a cramped metal box,
And onwards and upwards as the doors clamp shut,
And a slow rumble starts to pick up

Screeches and screaming,
Of the old tracks that bear,
Just a little too much for their boots,

The weight of the night,
The burdens and strife,
Its joys and its heartbreak,
A picture of life,

Looking up to the heavens, you ask those questions,
That master life has asked,
And find those answers writ in black and white,
Above a sea of heads, hatted, hirsute, and bald,

Boost your mood, order your food,
Buy that home that you’ll never afford,
Try online dating, or apps with five star ratings,
Read this pun, no this quote! if you’re bored.

Mind that you don’t commit the blue crime,
Of stepping on somebody else’s toes,
Or stare or smile for a little too long,
Or worst of all, seize the coveted thrones,

The seats of power of those less able,
To sway along on their two feet,
To the rhythm that binds we strangers together,
A slightly irregular beat,

To move forward and backwards and left and right,
Your dance partners sharing your grief,
As you sway and you bobble and sometimes you bump,
And then breathe out a sigh of relief…

For land ahoy! sings the voice on the tannoy,
You’ve made it, completed your lap,
So now at Bank station, your last destination,
Just remember to please mind the gap.